Advice for a successful medical assistant externship

Most medical assisting programs require students to complete externships, which can provide valuable job experience prior to beginning their careers. Externships are the portion of your medical assisting education that you spend working in a medical office while you are still in school. While your experience will vary depending upon the office in which you are placed, it’s up to you to get the most out of your externship experience and make it a success.

Look for opportunities to use your skills
You’ve spent your time in school learning the technical skills necessary to be a medical assistant, and now is your chance to put them into practice. Nothing beats real-world experience, so actively seek out opportunities to put your skills to the test. Whenever you get a chance, observe health care professionals performing procedures and make note of the techniques they use so you can use their expertise to perfect your own skills.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help
While externships do provide the opportunity to use your technical skills, they are also still a valuable part of the learning process, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice. If you are ever unsure of how to complete a task that has been asked of you or find it to be too challenging, ask the medical professionals you are working with to guide you and provide some tips for success. If you never ask questions when you don’t understand something, it’s unlikely that you will receive much benefit from the completion of an externship.

Discuss expectations
Before you even begin your externship, discussing expectations with your supervisor, mentor or sponsor will set you up for success. While it’s important that you take the initiative every day to get the most you can out of your externship experience, having a clear understanding of what the medical professionals you are working with hope to achieve will put you on the same page and create a more cohesive working environment.

Practice your "soft skills"
While medical assisting externships certainly present you with the opportunity to cultivate your technical expertise, they also allow you to practice ‘soft skills’ like customer service and communication. Medical assistants are partially responsible for patient care, so be aware of your body language and demeanor whenever you are in the medical office or interacting with patients.

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Congratulations to our Medical Assistant Graduate - Merideth!

We have some exciting news to share:

Our Medical Assistant Certificate Program graduate, Merideth P.,  has started a new job working full-time at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center as a Laboratory Assistant.  She works in the lab doing phlebotomy and specimen processing.

She is preparing for an additional certification exam so that she will be able to work in all sections of the lab.

Congratulations Merideth!

Thank You Letter of ORT's Medical Assistant Graduate

Through family I was referred to the school. I was working as a part-time hair stylist and wanted a career change. I signed up in Feb 2012 for the Medical Assistant Certificate Program. I have graduated in January 2013 and within 2 months was working in the field.

I really appreciated all the help my instructor, Dr. Nick, gave me with my studies. I had him for most of my core classes and he also provided me with extra assistance preparing for the various certifications.  It was very important for me to become certified as soon as possible. I am now certified as a Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) and EKG Technician (CET).

I work in the field as a Clinical Research Assistant/MA Coordinator for an Evanston Clinic.  My duties include everything that I learned in the MA program (patient care, administrative duties, lab work, phlebotomy, EKG, and also research coordinating).

I found my job through Craigslist and sent them a professional email stating that I was interested in volunteer work as a MA. Within a couple of weeks, I went from volunteering to a paid position. 

Thank you,
Anastasia

 

Medical Assistants: Top Traits Needed In A Medical Assisting Career

Most of us have had the benefit of a medical assistant's work when visiting a clinic, or doctor's office. But have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to pursue medical assistant training as a career? There are key traits every medical assistant should have such as strong communication skills, empathy, dependability, stress tolerance, self-control, courtesy, integrity, attention to detail, and agility.

It might help to understand what exactly a medical assistant does before you can appreciate the traits required to become one. While clinical duties vary according to state law, medical assistants generally perform a mix of administrative and clinical duties, including scheduling appointments, billing and coding for insurance purposes, maintaining medical records, taking and recording vital signs, documenting medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood and administering medications as directed by a physician.

Medical Assistant Traits

Do you possess any of the below traits? The following common traits may make you think about a medical assistant careers choice in a new light:

Strong Communication Skills: Listening to others without interruption while still asking relevant questions is key to obtaining valuable information that may be helpful to the doctor. Good communication is also about sharing important physician instructions clearly with patients and answering any questions he or she may have.

Empathetic: It's not only being a good listener that is important to a medical assistant, but also understanding any concerns, joys, and other situations and experiences patients are sharing with you. This may help them feel more at ease during the appointment.

Dependability: The doctor, your health care team members and the patients all depend on you to be on time, know your job, and respect the accepted protocols.

Stress Tolerance: A busy doctor's office or clinic can get quite hectic. Patients come to your facility in need of care, and there will always be plenty of paperwork to maintain, all of which contributes to the chaos. The everyday stresses that all of these situations can cause requires a strong, tolerant person to effectively handle each and every one.

Self-Control and Courtesy: It's easy to react to a busy physician, or a frustrated patient who is in pain or full of questions, but having self-control of your own emotions and actions in a health care setting while remaining courteous is the mark of a true professional.

Integrity: In a health care environment, the information a medical assistant collects and has access to is privileged information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule requires discretion of patient health information, but it's also a courtesy to be respectful of any information you obtain from a patient, even in casual conversation. As a result, medical assistants are faced with moral and ethical situations every day. Integrity is paramount to being a good medical assistant.

Attention to Detail: By being alert and attentive to details, you will be better able to help your patients, assist the doctors caring for them, and aid your colleagues so they can do their jobs more effectively.

Agility: Possessing manual dexterity and visual acuity will be invaluable in the medical assisting field when performing medical procedures.

Typically, those interested in becoming a medical assistant enjoy helping people, teaching and talking with others. If any of these traits appeal to you, it is important to find the right medical assistant training program that will teach you hands-on techniques from experienced instructors.

By Len Simpson

Open House and Family Picnic at ORT. August 29th 2013

On August 29th, The Chicago ORT Technical Institute hosted an Open House and Family Picnic. The campus was set up with classroom demonstrations, a health fair, and campus tours. A DJ kept the music playing all night and a balloon animal artist thrilled the kids with fantastic creations. Over 200 guests attended the Open House and enjoyed delicious food and treats, raffles, and an opportunity to meet the ORT staff. A highlight of the evening included our Health Fair where as many as 60 guests had blood pressure checks, diabetes screenings and vital signs tested by our Medical Assisting students. All Open House attendees are eligible to receive our August 2013 promotion when they enroll with the coupon distributed at the Open House. 
 
For additional information, please contact ORT at 847-324-5588 or visit our website at: zg-ort.edu